The use of radionuclides for the diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions is widespread. In diagnostic procedures it is desirable for a diagnostician to be able to clearly view the tissue of interest, such as, for example, a patient's heart. Some radioactive isotopes have an extremely short half-life. Thus, using them is very desirable in diagnosis since they minimize prolonged radiation exposure to the patient, but provide clear images to the medical diagnostician.
In practice, these desirable radioactive isotopes are often provided by a radionuclide nuclear generator, such as Bracco Diagnostic's model Cardiogen 82 (Rubidium RB 82 Generator), model #001500. The radionuclide generators are typically used up to 168 times in a one month time frame.
The generator typically includes an inlet connection and an outlet connection. Since the generator may be used up to 168 times the connections often get crushed or kinked. If the inlet or outlet connection becomes damaged, the generator will be rendered unusable. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a protective cover that prevents the inlet and outlet connections from becoming damaged in combination with the radionuclide generator.